Ten years ago I wrote this post about pivot points. Pivot points are conscious decisions about how to live your life differently. Examples could be quitting alcohol or drugs, leaving a toxic relationship, resigning from an unfulfilling job, starting your dream career, or changing the way you interact with people so that you’re not constantly giving away your power and making yourself smaller.

Rereading that post, I realized that I’d made another pivot point. What I had intended to be a one year experiment turned out to be a permanent change.

In 2018, I stopped hustling.

I even wrote a post about it: My 2018 Motto. That year I decided to go full tortoise and commit 100% to “slow and steady wins the race.”

Looking back over the last few years, I can see that the change stuck. I don’t rush around anymore. I very rarely work past 5pm. My daily writing quota is very low (600 words).

Paradoxically, by choosing to not maximize my productivity, my effectiveness has increased. In the last three years I’ve written three novels (two first drafts, and one complete and delivered, which comes out next month).

The strategy appears to be working for my consulting work as well. I rarely do more than a few hours of client work per day, and I never work on weekends. Even though I dedicate my mornings to fiction writing, my brain is still relatively fresh for my afternoon programming and database work. Since I stop work before I get tired, my clients get the benefits of a fresher, non-fatigued brain.

Most importantly, I’m less vulnerable to stress related illness. I’ve now recovered from a few chronic illnesses (asthma, depression, gastritis, insomnia), and I’m hoping this permanent switch to the no-hustle lifestyle will protect my health for a long time to come.

Actually, I take that back. The most important benefit is that I’m a better father. I’m less prone to angry outbursts, I’m generally calmer, and I’m almost always available to talk to my daughter or help her out whenever she needs me. I’m probably a better husband as well.

The other half of the commitment I made in 2018 was no slacking. Though I still get distracted and diverted on a regular basis, I no longer permit myself to take long breaks from (or give up on) pursuing my goals. I know what’s important to me, I’ve decided how to live my life, and I know where I’m going.

I understand that not having to hustle is a luxury, and some of that is due to privilege and luck. I don’t have to work three jobs to survive. 10-20 hours/week suffices.

But I’m glad I made the choice to live differently and more deliberately, to let go of the panic and inner desperation that can accompany the frantic pursuit of one’s goals.

My goals are my compass, and that’s it. They point me in the right direction, but they aren’t a precondition for my fulfillment. My internal state can be at least partially independent of my external circumstances.

Have you had a pivot point in the last few years? Feel free to share in the comments.